1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and, particularly to, a laser printer equipped with a flat bed scanner, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus such as a laser printer in which an image scanning unit for scanning an image on a document, and an image forming section for forming an image on a recording medium based on the data scanned by the image scanning unit are incorporated integrally, is known and commercially produced as a copy machine, a digital complex machine having the functions of facsimile/network telecommunication facility, a printer, etc.
A complex machine in which a scanning unit, a paper ejection tray, a scanner, and a process section, a paper feed cassette are vertically arranged in this order toward the bottom, is proposed as one example of such image forming apparatus, for example in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-214803 and U.S. Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-247337.
A complex machine designed so that paper fed from the paper feed cassette arranged on the lower side thereof passes under a process cartridge and is guided to a fixation unit, and then is ejected to a paper ejection tray arranged on the outside of a casing of the image forming apparatus, is proposed as another image forming apparatus for example in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-69884, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,568.
A facsimile machine in which a paper ejection tray is arranged next to a fixation unit in a horizontal direction and which is designed so that the paper fed from the cassette arranged below passes under the process cartridge and is guided to the fixation unit, and then ejected within a main body casing (a so-called internal paper ejection), is proposed as still another image forming apparatus for example in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-247051.
An image forming apparatus such as a laser printer in which an image scanning unit for scanning an image on a document, and an image forming section for forming an image on a recording medium based on the data scanned by the image scanning unit are incorporated integrally is known, and commercially produced as a copy machine, a digital complex machine having the functions of facsimile/network telecommunication facility, a printer, etc.
An image forming apparatus in which a pivot shaft is provided between the printer section and the scanner at rear end portions thereof so that the scanner can be swingable to the printer section about the pivot shaft, whereby so that an upper surface of the printer section can be opened and closed by the swinging action of the scanner section, is proposed for example in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-69884 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,568).
In this type of image forming apparatus, when the upper surface of the printer section is opened, the process cartridge is removably mounted in the printer section from an upper side of a front surface of a casing toward a lower side of a rear surface of the casing. A paper passes under the process cartridge and is guided to the fixation unit, and after passing through the fixation unit, the paper is ejected to the outside of the casing through a paper ejection port in the front surface of the casing and guided to the paper ejection tray.